The River :: Bixby Knolls Long Beach California Church

Interested in eternal life? If God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?”, how would YOU answer? Would you offer your good works? That’s risky! How “good” is “good enough?”

In His love, God has provided a way for us to know Him personally - right now - and inherit heaven when we die. The answer is in His “instruction manual,” the Bible. Interested? Then read on and discover…

God’s Plan of Salvation

Man's Nature
"There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10)
No one is righteous (right with God) on his own merits (good works).

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
Everyone sins and no one has ever perfectly conformed to God's laws (commandments).

Results of Sin
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Sin causes death, which is eternal separation from God. BUT - Jesus paid the price for our sins so that eternal life could be available to YOU.

God's Solution
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
God, through His love, sent Christ to die in our place while we were sinners, so that we could be saved (everlasting life with God). By believing in and receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, we can be “saved” from eternal separation from God and have eternal life with Him, beginning NOW. This gift cannot be earned.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
By our first birth we are born corrupt in sin, and are spiritually dead. We must be born again from above (spiritual rebirth from heaven) by asking Jesus to come into our life. He gives us new spiritual life.

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)
Faith in Christ brings about forgiveness of sin. The only “unforgivable” sin is denying Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Only One Way
"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)
The only way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ, the only one from the Father. Going to church doesn't save anyone. Being baptized doesn't save anyone. It is only by asking Jesus to be our Savior and the Lord of our life that we are saved from eternal condemnation.

Our Response
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20)
As long as Jesus is still inviting, you can enter the Kingdom of God by making a decision for Christ by opening the door to their heart. The “knock” may not continue forever.

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)
If you declare that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that He was resurrected from the dead, you will be saved.

For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
If you call upon Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have salvation and will be spared from the penalty of sin. Confession of sin is a continuous process. We are once for all declared righteous when we receive Jesus, but our sin breaks fellowship daily.

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
(Acts 3:19)
Repent = “to turn away from sin”. Being converted = “to redirect your life according to God's will”. When you repent and are converted in the name of Jesus and in the spirit of our God, He forgives your sins and no longer remembers them…eternally!

The Results of Receiving Him
"For by grace you’ve been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
Salvation is a gift of God’s grace received through faith and cannot be earned in any way. No amount of your "good works" will earn salvation. It is a work of God, not man.

"As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12)
God is merciful. Through forgiveness, He completely separates our sins from us and He no longer holds them against us.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
After receiving Christ, we’re given a new nature and a new heart by the Holy Spirit. This new life means that we also have new attitudes and actions. Our old nature of slavery to sin is removed and is replaced with the righteousness of Christ.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12)
Only through receiving Jesus as your Savior and your Lord, do you have the right to be one of God's children. We must receive HIM because He is the sacrifice for our sins.

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13)

When we receive Jesus, we are set apart for God and made holy by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s “down-payment” since we were purchased for a price by Jesus on the cross and we belong to God.

You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer
Prayer is just talking to God. Here’s a suggested prayer…

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Thank you God.”

What’s Next?
Congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! If you will contact us we will send you some important information to help you get started in your new relationship with God.